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The Age of Bobby Fischer

The new Hollywood movie “Pawn Sacrifice” depicts the Cold War match between the tormented chess prodigy and Russian world champion Boris Spassky. It also makes one wonder whether a creative genius like Fischer, deeply troubled yet supremely functional at the chessboard, would be able to exist in today’s unforgiving online world.

CAMBRIDGE – The brilliant new Hollywood movie “Pawn Sacrifice” portrays the life of tormented chess genius Robert James “Bobby” Fischer from his early days as a prodigy to his historic 1972 match, at age 29, with Russian world champion Boris Spassky. Actor Toby Maguire portrays Fischer with remarkable authenticity – indeed, pitch-perfect for those of us who met Fischer in his prime.

The film depicts a match that became a signature event in the Cold War between Russia and the United States. It also makes one wonder whether a creative genius like Fischer, deeply troubled yet supremely functional at the chessboard, would be able to exist in today’s unforgiving online world.

Fischer certainly got attention back then, but information was filtered very differently than it is today. Journalists used to lead the way, rather than slavishly following the flow of superficial Internet traffic. The story of an erratic kid from Brooklyn taking on the Soviet empire in its national sport made good copy for journalists, who understood the significance of the event. The match garnered front-page headlines in major newspapers around the world on a daily basis for two months, with commentators providing live move-by-move analysis for up to five hours each day.

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A really great movie to watch is "Finding Bobby Fischer". To spoil it for you the protagonist does not find Bobby Fischer, and rather realizes that it is better to be a well adjusted and social human being and not the best chess player in the world, rather than to be the best and end up like BF.

I think you have it the wrong way around. The internet desensitizes people to disturbing ideas and behavior because they are so common there. Look at Oscar Pistorius - he was famous and was clearly off the rails before he shot his girlfriend, but nobody really seemed to notice or even care despite the newspaper reporting on several incidents beforehand.

Should the advent of the online world of extreme intrusion jeopardize the emergence of Genius, the cause for concern is timely.
Personal flaws characterizes all if us in our personal evolution and growth.
Genius is perhaps a result of pursuit of passion.
Passion that needs positive strokes that must remain in plentiful supply.
As networks discover and gather personal flaws, it is their deployment that destroys genius that needs introspection.
Mankind would loose if Fischers are unable to blossom, once their personal flaws become public knowledge.
Privacy from networks intrusive technologies in gathering personal flaws perhaps needs protection.
Grandmasters genius is precious indeed.

Thanks, Robert.
The Library of Human Knowledge accumulates the ways of Genius.
Einstein always maintained that his efforts were directed at understanding God's Library.
Unless the pursuit of passion resulted in E = MC squared, Einstein's Mind would have failed to add one more book in The Library.
Einstein's efforts were to avoid that failure, by pursuing his passion so relentlessly that Truth heretofore undiscovered was explained.
The Genius of Grandmasters is in fact derived from the Wisdom in The Trinity - unless the transient becomes the eternal, his passions play.
Society is like The Church that must enable every Student's passage towards Grandmasterhood - one more book in The Library.
Privacy whose protection Rogoff advocates, can become destructive - thereby preventing the benefits of Genius.
Bobby Fischer was poetry in play, I recall staying up at night to track his progress in Reykjavik.
In admitting my admiration for Stiglitz and Shiller, Sachs and Spence, I am obsessed with One section of The Library.
The Genius of Nicklaus and Watson, Player and Palmer is on display in another section.
Where I shall stray, afterwards.

jagjeet, your comment seems right to me. Recently watched the documentary on Fischer and my take was obsession. These geniuses have one thing in common; they obsess over their calling. Most of the really great economist I've met seem to have that trait. When they make a bit of money, most learn golf and stop obsessing. Those that don't learn golf are Laureates in time.